


i l y (no matter what)

by didsw



Category: Free!
Genre: 1 day late tho :/, FOR ABBY!!!!!!, First Time, M/M, Valentine's Day, theres not...even that much plot im sorry...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 03:34:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3366200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/didsw/pseuds/didsw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nagisa and Rei plan a romantic night for Valentine's Day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i l y (no matter what)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [youcanbeking](https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcanbeking/gifts).



> whats the title (i dont even know)
> 
> yeahh abby this one's for you, we're both late for v-day but its a-ok! i hope you like it dude :)))

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Rei-chan,” says Nagisa when they’re lacing up their sneakers to run to school. The train puffs away in the distance.

 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Nagisa-kun,” Rei replies with that indulgent little smile he reserves for Nagisa and Nagisa only. “Are you ready to go?”

“Aye-aye, captain!” Nagisa salutes, and Rei rolls his eyes before bending down and kissing his nose. Nagisa warms--Rei usually isn’t so forward with affection. He smiles as Rei straightens, only a _tad_ pink, and figures it must be some classic Valentine’s Day magic.

He can almost keep up with Rei the whole run now, but secretly Nagisa thinks Rei might be going a _little bit slower_ than he can when Nagisa joins him on the morning jog. He’s perfectly fine with Rei pretending for his sake, though--sometimes, if Rei’s in a good mood, he allows Nagisa to cling to his hand the last leg.

They loiter in the shadow of the school wall before changing, and Nagisa leans up to kiss Rei.

“Now you kiss me,” he says, tapping his mouth, and is pleased when Rei complies. “Now we’ll kiss each other!”

“Nagisa-kun,” Rei says, shaking his head, but he cups Nagisa’s face and kisses him a little deeper than appropriate for school. “Will that satisfy you for the rest of the day?”

“ _Rei-chan_ ,” Nagisa breathes, a little dizzy. He’s only been secretly dating Rei for about two months--not nearly enough time to get used to Rei’s touches and Rei’s compliments and Rei’s mouth.

Rei blushes but continues, “Are you excited for tonight?”

Nagisa jumps a bit, grabbing both of Rei’s hands. “So excited! I’ve been looking forward to tonight for _so_ long!”

“Not so loud!” Rei shushes him, but he’s smiling. “I’m--ah. I’m also looking forward...to tonight’s...festivities.”

“You’re such a dork, Rei-chan, “festivities”, honestly,” says Nagisa, before adjusting imaginary glasses. “ _I’ve made all the necessary preparations to ensure optimal pleasure, Nagisa-kun_.” Rei grows as red as a beet.

“I haven’t--what _preparations_ are you talking about, exactly?” he asks. “And that doesn’t even _sound_ like me, honestly.”

“Sure it does!” Nagisa laughs him off. “My impersonation of you has gotten a lot better, you have to admit!”

“It has not!” whines Rei, petulant. “I’m not nearly that stiff! Am I?” he adds, a bit fearfully.

Nagisa merely looks at him. Rei scowls.

“Whatever,” he mutters, shouldering on his backpack. “Come on, let’s go, we don’t want to be late.” He sets off in the direction of the school locker rooms. Nagisa bounces after him, snickering.

“Aw, don’t be mad, Rei-chan,” he says, grabbing Rei’s hand and swinging it in large arcs. “You need to be _relaxed_ , remember? It’ll hurt if you’re too tense!”

“Where are you getting this information?” Rei demands, stumbling and wheeling around at Nagisa. “And could you please not broadcast this so loudly? We’re on campus, what if someone hears?”

 

“Hears what?” says a voice, and Gou skips up to them, skirts flouncing.

“Gou-san!” Rei barks, suddenly ramrod straight. “How are you!”

“Fine, thank you, Rei-kun,” she says, before smiling prettily up at them. “What were you--”

“You look cute today, Gou-chan!” interjects Nagisa, tugging on her bangs. “You braided your hair, huh? And I like those barrettes!”

“Beautiful,” Rei says, leaning around her to admire the intricate weave. “You did this yourself?”

“Onii-chan taught me last weekend,” she says, patting her hair and smirking. “Isn’t it cool? I wanted to look nice for today.”

 

“Gou-chan always looks nice,” says Nagisa, because it’s true, but also partially to distract her from her earlier question. It works, as Gou tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and preens.

 

“Oh, wait--before I forget,” she says, dropping her bag to the ground and fishing around. She straightens and thrusts out two small white boxes, tied up in pink and red. “Happy Valentine’s Day, you two!”

“Gou-san,” Rei says, taking his and sparkling. “You shouldn’t have!”

“But of course I must,” Gou says, twinkling right back. “Anything for my talented captains and their beautiful muscles!”

“We’ll both repay you in full come White Day,” says Rei, and Nagisa nods enthusiastically.

“We’ll make the best chocolate with the finest ingredients pocket money can buy!” he cheers.

“Anything for our competent manager!” Rei says.

“Rei-kun,” says Gou, hand over heart, because when was the last time Rei complimented Gou on her job?

They smile at each other, and Rei looks a little emotional--Nagisa allows it, because this is one of those rare times Gou and Rei actually seem to be getting along without unnecessary needling.

Gou breaks it.

“So what were you two discussing before I came up?” she says brightly, and Nagisa’s eyebrow twitches.

“Nothing at all!” he says as Rei splutters in the background. He leans forward and hisses in her ear. “Are you _trying_ to send Rei-chan to an early grave?”

Gou throws her head back and laughs, patting Nagisa’s chest. “Oh, calm down, you two! I’m not judging you on...whatever it is you’re planning on doing.” Her braid almost smacks Nagisa in the face when she turns to a girl across the courtyard who has called her over. Gou waves back, and then leans right up into Rei’s space, telling him to “use protection”, before darting away, cackling. They both bloom bright red, and Nagisa makes a mental note to text Rin, because Gou is not the sweet, naive little sister he’s deluding himself into thinking she is.

“I can’t believe we let ourselves be caught by her,” Rei moans, and Nagisa strokes his arm sympathetically as they set off towards the locker rooms.

“I trust her, though,” he says, because he _does_ , strangely enough. Gou can tease and poke fun all she wants, but she understands the importance of keeping quiet--at least on this issue. "Out of all our friends, she's least likely to spill the beans."

"I'd prefer it if no one knew, for now," says Rei, side-eying him.

"What's that look for?" Nagisa says.

"If you hadn't kissed me after practice that day--"

"This again?" Nagisa blows out a breath. "Rei-chan, it's fine! She was bound to find out _sometime_ , she spends so much time with us!”

“Still,” Rei huffs, “I wasn’t ready at all. How mortifying, to catch us in that position…” Nagisa rolls his eyes.

“What position? It was literally just a peck on the lips!”

“It was much more than _just a peck_ , Nagisa-kun! She caught me--us--in a vulnerable state.”

Nagisa stares at him for a second, before crinkling his nose and laughing. “A vulnerable state? You’re such a prude, Rei-chan,” he grins, shoving Rei a bit. Rei stumbles and thumbs his glasses.

“I prefer the term _classy_ , Nagisa-kun,” he says, giving Nagisa a little push back, not without a smile, “a word I doubt you have in your vocabulary.”

They bicker as they walk for a while, a friendly argument that turns into an analyzation of Rei’s romantic fallouts, much to the younger boy’s chagrin (“ _Why are we always discussing my flaws? You’re not perfect either, Nagisa-kun!_ ”).

When they reach the locker rooms, Rei faces the wall to take off his pants.

“Quit lagging and get changed,” he says without turning around. Nagisa tears his eyes from Rei’s back and reluctantly shucks off his workout clothes.

“Hey, Rei,” he says suddenly, struck with a thought. He spins around and tugs a bit on Rei’s boxers. “Let me see a sneak preview of tonight.”

Rei yelps and hops backward. “W-what, Nagisa-kun?”

“I mean, just so I have something to focus on in class,” Nagisa says, following Rei with a sweet smile. “You know, since I’m gonna see everything later.”

Red blooms high and fast in Rei’s cheeks. “You should be focusing on the _lesson_ , Nagisa-kun, not--um, certainly not anything else!” He holds his school shirt in front of him, perhaps to fend of any attack Nagisa might launch. Deciding he’s had enough teasing for this early in the morning, Nagisa relents with a pout.

“Stingy, Rei-chan,” he says, twirling back to the bench where his uniform lays. “But you should know that I’m not going to be focusing on school at all today.”

“Of course!” Rei squeaks, before pulling the knot on his tie all the way up against his throat and speed-walking out of the locker room, leaving behind a faint trace of classic Rei-chan awkwardness.

Nagisa giggles, shrugs on his sweater, and follows.

**

School is torture--more than usual. Even his history lesson has lost its usual splendor. They’re learning about a war and Sensei just seems to drone on and on--at least it’s not like he needs to pay attention. He’s read multiple books about Japan’s war history already, so the class is basically review for him.

Nagisa traces the planes and curves of Rei’s back with his eyes to pass the time. He wants to reach out, run his fingers along the folds of his uniform shirt, but the last time he pulled a stunt like that he and Rei earned many weird looks from their surrounding classmates during a break.

Speaking of Rei, the boy is sitting straight in his seat, diligently taking notes and focusing on the board. Nagisa snorts to himself. Rei tries _so hard_ to be the model student, but how many times has he fallen asleep at his desk this term? More than Nagisa, for sure--he’s lucky he’s so brilliant, because Nagisa certainly doesn’t take notes well enough to pull the two of them through third-year. He’s barely scraping by in math as it is.

Rei would tell him he’s improved exponentially since this time last year, and Nagisa’s trying, he truly is, but some days its hard to even _open_ his textbook. Rei has helped a lot in that department--when Rei’s around, studying turns out to be not as strenuous as Nagisa recalls.

The clock seems to be unmoving. Nagisa lolls his head back, half-listening to a classmate fumble their way through the English in their textbook, and wills time to go faster.

**

Swim practice, at least, takes his mind off things. Gliding through the water, the sound of garbled yelling from Gou--it makes him happy, even if Mako and Haru aren’t here to swim with them.

“Your stroke is so powerful, Hazuki-san!” says an eager first-year when he resurfaces.

“Thanks, Hiro-chan!” he responds, drawing himself up out of the pool. Rei comes over and throws a towel at him.

“Nagisa-kun works very hard, Kawata-kun,” he says to Hiro. “He keeps his body in shape and is always practicing.”

“That’s right,” says Gou, coming up behind him. “He worked very hard these past few years and rarely slacks off.” They both fix Hiro with a look, and the first-year bows hastily, glancing at Nagisa.

“Get practicing, you heard them,” he winks, grinning. Hiro smiles back and scampers off into the pool, and Nagisa walks up to Rei and Gou.

“Rarely slacks off, huh?” he says, rocking back on his heels. Gou sighs.

“I have to say _something_ to keep them motivated,” she says, tossing her braid. “So you better live up to the lie, Hazuki!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nagisa waves off Gou’s threats. “I’m sure you two have properly scared the new members into practicing.”

“Scared?” Rei echoes, frowning. “Strict methods aren’t necessarily _frightening_ , Nagisa-kun.”

“Did you see Koji-chan’s face the last time you two ganged up on him?” Nagisa giggles at the memory.

“ _Ganged up_ on him?” Gou demands, looking fierce.

“Mayeda-kun can handle himself,” Rei adds, looking worried. “It’s not my intent to be a mean captain--Gou-san was the one who said I should reprimand him--”

“ _Gou-san said?_ ” Gou wheels around and faces Rei. Her hair seems to be crackling with irritation. Rei holds up his hands in a placating gesture, but the damage is done. “I don’t care what sort of perverse plans you two have after school today--”

“Please, keep your voice down!” Rei tries to shush her, but she holds up a hand. Nagisa’s surprised Rei hasn’t passed out.

“You two are on cleanup duty after today’s practice! Maybe that will teach you to respect my methods!”

“But we do respect you, Gou-chan!” Nagisa says, unwilling to stay behind and clean the area with only Rei--if everyone helps out, the work would be done in only fifteen minutes!

“My word is final.” She sniffs haughtily. Rei and Nagisa exchange a look--they only have a few hours before Rei’s parent’s come home, and as accepting as the Ryuugazakis are, Nagisa doubts they would want to walk in on their baby boy getting boned on his cat-print duvet--and make a decision. With Gou-chan, bribery is the way to go.

“Rei-chan and I will give you some of the chocolates we got today if you rope everyone into helping!” Nagisa says. Gou doesn’t budge.

“We’ll give you all of the chocolate we’ve received!” Rei says, pinching Nagisa’s elbow when Nagisa shoots him a surprised look. Rei gives him one right back.They’re not as good as Haru and Mako by any means, but Nagisa’s gotten better at reading Rei’s looks. _Roll with it_ , this one says, and Nagisa wants to interpret is as something like _Let’s just ditch after practice_ , but he’s trying to be more responsible, and the stakes are too high today for that sort of tomfoolery.

“Of course,” he says through a strained smile. “All the chocolate, all for Gou-chan.”

Gou eyes them for a minute. Nagisa tries his best to look like he’s serious, but he’s a little bit miffed--he had a good haul this year and was looking forward to gorging himself on candy this weekend.

“Alright, fine,” Gou relents, shoulders sagging. “But only because it’s Valentine’s Day! I won’t let you two off so easy next time!”

“Of course, Gou-san!” says Rei.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Gou-chan!” Nagisa shoots her a disarming smile. She swats at him with her clipboard and he dances away, slipping and crashing into the pool.

**

Everyone grumbles and groans when Gou forces them to clean up the pool area after practice.

“It’s Friday!” she cries, a broom clutched in her own hand. “Do you want to come back to a dirty pool after the weekend?”

“No,” a few first-years mumble, and Gou smiles. It’s a slightly creepy smile. Very sharp. Very Rin-like.

Everyone gets back to work without complaint.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity of scrubbing and sweeping, Gou allows them to leave. She herds the swim team out of the pool gate, smiling slightly at the bumbling nature of many of the underclassmen.

“Thanks, Gou-chan,” says Nagisa, shrugging on his swim jacket.

“Yeah, yeah,” she waves him off, scribbling something down in her clipboard. “Get going, you two--it’s getting late.”

Rei hands her a bag of his and Nagisa’s collective chocolates and she beams. Nagisa hugs her when they leave and she pushes him off, but he catches her smiling as she makes her way back into the school, waving back a thanks for the chocolate.

“Well?” he turns to Rei, unable to keep his own grin from spreading across his face. “Shall we?”

“Of course,” says Rei, and they’re both blushing, or maybe it’s the sun’s orange glow cast across their cheeks--whatever the reason, Nagisa’s whole body is suddenly thrumming with excitement and nervousness.

The walk to the station is a bit more rushed than usual--Nagisa can feel the same eagerness rolling off Rei in waves, electricity sparking between their skin when they sit next to each other on the train. With every sway of the carriage, Rei’s thighs brush against Nagisa’s, warm.

He bravely takes Rei’s hand in his own on the short walk to Rei’s apartment, and if the grip is clammy neither of them say a word.

Rei unlocks his door with fingers that shake only slightly, Nagisa bouncing on his heels next to him. The door swings open to reveal an empty apartment. The doorway to Rei’s room lays directly in front of them, looming.   
  


Looming? Nagisa shakes his head, but can’t get rid of the tiny niggling in the back of his head--he chalks it up to nerves and grabs Rei’s arm, pulling him towards the bedroom.

The minute they cross the threshold, Nagisa tugs Rei down and attaches himself to Rei’s mouth. Rei sighs, a shudder that passes through Nagisa’s whole body, and leans into the kiss. He slides his tongue into Rei’s mouth without preamble, rocking his hips. It’s when Rei begins to reciprocate--and very enthusiastically, at that--Nagisa starts to get cold feet.

They’ve made out before, multiple times, and Nagisa’s gotten mildly aroused, same as Rei--but it’s different this time. They’ve usually stopped before things got that heated, and Nagisa has gone home to deal with the side effects of having Rei’s body pressed up against his, but somehow when he feels Rei start to get hard against his thigh Nagisa starts to feel a bit like he’s drowning.

The thing is, he’s hard too, which makes the situation confusing. If his body is responding correctly to Rei’s advances, why isn’t he--

Rei moans a bit into the kiss. Nagisa shivers.

“Should we move further?” Rei asks, a whisper against the shell of his ear.

“S-sure,” Nagisa stutters, trying to maintain normal breathing patterns.

Rei steps back and unclasps the button on his jeans, and before Nagisa can say anything, slides out of his pants. Nagisa draws in a ragged breath when he sees the outline of Rei’s cock against his briefs, suddenly unsure. Hasn’t he dreamed of seeing Rei naked for months now? Hasn’t he fantasized about what it would be like, to tug down his underwear, see another boy naked for the first time--

Rei pulls his underwear off before Nagisa has time to think, and suddenly he’s there--flushed and hard and _real_. Nagisa’s head is swimming, thoughts thudding around in his ears. This is real life, and Rei is _right there_ and he can’t--he doesn’t--

Rei moves back towards him in a fluid movement, breathing harshly.

“Nagisa-kun,” Rei mumbles against his lips, gently maneuvering them to the bed. He sets Nagisa down gently, like he’s made of glass, expression blown wide, and how could Nagisa say no to a face like that?

Rei leans down and starts mouthing at his neck and Nagisa wills himself to relax. This is okay, this is normal--they’ve done this before, _it’s just making out, Jesus, Nagisa, pull yourself together._ Rei moves forward and his erection is pressing hard into Nagisa’s thigh, the heat of it burning his skin. Nagisa fists his hands in Rei’s open oxford and squeezes his eyes shut. Rei must mistake his gasps for ones of pleasure because he starts rutting against Nagisa’s thigh, sucking at his neck with more fervor. Nagisa lays perfectly still, until one of Rei’s hands begins to travel downward, tugging at his boxers and sliding them down, and before he knows it, one of his hands has clamped down on Rei’s.

Rei goes still. Nagisa stops breathing. He feels Rei pull back and shuts his eyes, humiliated.

“Nagisa? Nagisa-kun, look at me.”

Nagisa turns his head to the side and groans. “I’m sorry, Rei-chan,” he says into the pillow. He can feel Rei staring, and squeezes his eyes tighter.

“Do you want to stop?” Rei asks softly, and Nagisa listens hard for an accusing tone--but Rei-chan is Rei-chan, kind-hearted and gentle and impossibly understanding.

“Yes,” he manages to choke out. To his utter mortification, a few tears leak out of the sides of his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he gasps, humiliated, as Rei moves off him and clambers out of the bed. Panic seizes him instantly, clawing at his chest. For a moment he’s afraid he’s chased Rei off, and right when he decides to get out of bed and beg him to stay, Rei comes back and settles himself on the pillow next to Nagisa.

“Please look at me,” says Rei, and Nagisa is reluctant but figures he might as well listen to Rei one last time before he ruins all hope of maintaining their relationship. When he squints up at Rei, he’s immensely relieved to see that Rei’s put on his briefs and an undershirt.

“What’s wrong, Nagisa-kun?” and the gentle way he says his name makes Nagisa’s heart ache. “Is it me? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no,” Nagisa sits up and wraps himself in a blanket. “I’m sorry, Rei-chan, this is all my fault. I just--I thought--” It’s hard to speak while trying to keep the floodgates closed--he wills himself not to cry, not to be any more pathetic than he already is.

“I’m listening,” says Rei, and runs a hand through Nagisa’s hair. “It’s alright.”

“I thought I was ready!” Nagisa bursts out, clutching the blankets tighter. “I’ve been dreaming and planning this for so-- _so long_ , Rei-chan, I really--I was so nervous and s-scared, I don’t know why!” He chokes over the last word, a strangled sort of sob, really, and Rei pulls him, blanket and all, into his chest, rubbing soothingly up and down his back.

“You were so prepared, Rei-chan...I’m supposed to be older,” he draws in a breath, “I was supposed to be ready...I thought I was, I don’t know what happened…”

“Age has nothing to do with it,” says Rei.

“Yeah, but…” Nagisa trails off. There are a few tears pricking his eyes, but he brushes them away hastily. The last thing he wants right now its to cry--he doesn’t think he’s ever been this embarrassed before, especially not in front of Rei. “I mean, I was so...pushy, you know? And in the end, I wasn’t even ready.”  
  


“Nagisa,” says Rei seriously. “I need you to know that you weren’t pushing me at all, okay? I wanted this just as much as you.”

Nagisa’s face crumples. “I’m sorry!” he wails, hiding his face in his hands. “I disappointed Rei-chan again, huh?”

“No, no, not at all, Nagisa-kun!” Rei’s trying to pry his hands away from covering his eyes. “I didn’t mean--I’m perfectly fine to wait! That isn’t what I meant at all!”

Nagisa allows his hands to be removed. He peers up at Rei through vision that is only slightly blurred.

“Really?” he asks, feeling like a little kid, even though he’s the one who’s older. Rei’s look is tender, catching his gaze.

“Really and truly,” he answers, and Nagisa laughs wetly, body sagging in relief. How could he have thought Rei would have been mad at him for this? Rei understands him better than anyone else--Nagisa feels stupid for being worried.

He rubs his nose against Rei’s in silent thanks, hoping Rei can feel at least some the gratitude swelling in his heart.

“Despite all your teasing, it looks like you’re the prude, not me, Nagisa-kun,” says Rei. Nagisa whips his head up toward him, shocked, and Rei blanches, backtracking instantly. “I--I’m sorry, was that too rude? I was merely trying to lighten the mood--I did not mean to--it was an innocent joke--” he’s cut off when Nagisa laughs loudly.

“You’re such a dweeb, Rei-chan,” says Nagisa through his amusement. Rei exhales in relief, swatting away Nagisa’s fingers that are reaching up to poke his cheeks. Undeterred, Nagisa clambers into his lap and wraps the blankets around both of them, encasing them in a fluffy cocoon.

“Nagisa-kun!” Rei laughs as Nagisa’s nuzzling sends both of them tumbling back against the pillows propped up.

“Hey,” says Nagisa, raising his head from Rei’s chest, “thanks, Rei-chan.” Rei tilts his head in question.

“For what, Nagisa-kun?” he asks.

“For...you know, not flipping out, and stuff.” Nagisa casts his eyes to the side, bashful. He closes his eyes when Rei’s fingers trip through them lightly.

“What did you expect me to do, Nagisa-kun? Get mad at you?” Rei’s smile is gentle warmth, breaking across his face and cascading down his back. “How could I even dream of reacting in that way? We don’t _need_ sex. I’m happy and content with simply being with you.” He noses Nagisa’s curls, places a delicate kiss on his forehead. Nagisa thinks he might love him.

“Maybe not right now…” Nagisa starts, hiding his face in Rei’s shirt, “but someday...I would like to try again. With Rei-chan.”

“Of course,” Rei says, and Nagisa admires the way his voice wavers only _slightly_.

“Oh! Wait! Before I forget,” says Nagisa, drawing back and clamping his hands down on Rei’s shoulders. “I have a present for you!”

“Nagisa-kun,” says Rei, looking touched. “You didn’t have to get me anything!”

“Of course I did, Rei-chan! You’re my boyfriend!” Nagisa scrambles off his lap, fighting tangled blankets. “Wait here, okay?”

“Alright,” Rei calls back as Nagisa dashes out of his room and into the hall. He pads over to his backpack, forgotten in the shadows, and carefully draws out a small ceramic pot, cast in lovely robin’s egg, and holding a lively little bundle of aloe vera. Nagisa cradles the plant against his chest, inspecting it for damages. He left three textbooks at school to make room for his gift!

He bounds up to Rei’s doorway, hiding the pot behind his back. Rei sits on his bed on top of the nest of pillows and blankets, unchanged except for the pink tin on his lap.

“What’s that, Rei-chan? I told you not to move!”

“Well, I couldn’t go through Valentine’s Day without getting you _something_ , Nagisa-kun,” Rei smiles, and Nagisa sidles up next to him when Rei pats the mattress.

“You first,” Nagisa says, sitting back on his thighs and facing Rei. He resists the urge to grab for the box, instead drumming his fingers on the metallic lid. “It’s such a pretty color!”

“Thank you,” says Rei, and why is he blushing? “It reminds me of your aura.”

Nagisa’s eyes widen. “Rei-chan,” he stammers, caught off-guard at the sincerity in Rei’s eyes.

“A-anyways,” Rei continues, “here you go. I worked very hard, perfecting the recipe. I know how much you like sweets, and I’m always offering healthier alternatives, but today...today I’m giving you the richest, most decadent chocolates a seventeen year old third-year like me can create.” He shyly offers the tin up to Nagisa. Nagisa opens the lid slowly, carefully, unveiling four rows of elegant truffles.

“They’re so beautiful!” Nagisa says, and places one in his mouth. It melts, creamy goodness spreading across his tongue, a burst of strawberry dancing across the roof of his mouth. “Strawberry filling?”

“Well, some are raspberry,” says Rei. He looks very pleased with the situation. Nagisa leans and leaves a chocolatey kiss on Rei’s cheek.

“Thank you, Rei-chan, they’re delicious,” says Nagisa honestly. He imagines Rei working hard to perfect the treat and clutches a pillow to his chest, a bit giddy.

“Well then, lets see your gift,” says Rei, smiling.

“Ah,” says Nagisa, fidgeting. “It’s not as good as yours or anything--”

“Nagisa,” says Rei. He fixes him with a look. “Please don’t worry. I don’t need a gift from you to be happy.”

Instead of trying to respond to a comment as sappy as that--Nagisa isn’t sure he’s entirely equipped to handle Rei at his most charming in such a lengthy period as this--he reaches behind him and brings forth the plant.

“It’s an aloe vera plant,” he says to Rei’s silence. “Since I know you like science, and stuff. It’s from my own personal garden. I picked it especially for you--you don’t have any plants in here, but I figured it might brighten up the place?” He holds out the pot.

“This is from your garden?” Rei asks, taking the aloe plant into his hands.

“Yes.” Nagisa scooches closer to Rei. “Is it--do you like it?”

“Like it?” Rei tears his eyes away from the gift and meets Nagisa’s. “Of course--Nagisa, I love it!”

“You do?” says Nagisa, letting out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness--I thought you’d think it was a hassle, or something.”

“A hassle?” Rei repeats, petting the plant. Nagisa smiles. “How could I think something like that? You grew this for me. I’m--a little bit emotional, honestly.” He places the pot delicately on his windowsill. “Look, it’s like I have a part of you to keep me company when you’re not here!”

“Stop, oh my God, Rei-chan!” Nagisa can’t help but beam at him. “You’re such a softie underneath all that stiff politeness! What will the kids at school think?”

“Don’t tell them,” Rei says, slinging an arm comfortably around Nagisa’s shoulders. “I do have an image to keep up, you know.”

“Uptight, dorky hardass,” Nagisa says, leaning into Rei’s arm. “That seems hard to maintain.”

“You forgot pretentious jerk,” says Rei, throwing back the harsh words Nagisa had spit at him when they had a big fight before the start of term. Nagisa goes to apologize, but Rei’s grinning, a wicked smirk.

“See! You are a jerk,” Nagisa says, shoving his chest. “I said I didn’t mean it, didn’t I?”

“I’m still so very hurt though,” says Rei in a show of faux-despair. Nagisa rolls his eyes and turns to loops his arms around Rei, wrists brushing the nape of his neck.

“I don’t think you’re a jerk, Rei-chan,” says Nagisa lowly. Rei blinks at the change in atmosphere. “In fact I--I think I might--”

Rei watches him. Nagisa loses his nerve. “I just really like you,” he finishes in a rushed breath. “A lot.”

“I really like you too, Nagisa-kun,” answers Rei quietly. His gaze burns Nagisa in a way that is by no means unwelcome, but it feels a bit like Nagisa is too exposed.

“So! Wanna try a chocolate?” he says, too loud, and reaches into the tin.

Nagisa can’t stop the blush that rises to his face when Rei nips the tips of his fingers instead of the chocolate. He covers his mouth with his free hand and swats a laughing Rei away, grinning despite his shyness.

They finish the chocolates and cast the box aside--Nagisa curls up like a cat into Rei’s side and Rei brings out his laptop.

“Want to watch a movie until my parents come home with dinner?” Rei asks, holding out a selection of the most gruesome, gory horror movies in his family’s collection. Perfect for cuddling up to on a Valentine’s Day in.

“Of course!” Nagisa settles himself against Rei more comfortably, sliding an arm behind Rei’s back to rest fingers against his side. Rei shifts to accommodate him, booting up his laptop with one hand and massaging Nagisa’s shoulder with the other.

They don’t have sex. They don’t even come close to it the rest of the night, but there are a lot of shy glances across the dinner table, a lot of kissing on Rei’s bed. Warm, sappy sentiments whispered to each other when the clock reads in the am and the house is dark around them, when Nagisa and Rei can hide their blushes in the folds of the blanket.

 **  
**Nagisa breathes, even and slow, Rei a comforting presence right next to him, rising and falling in time with his breaths. He is immensely grateful to have a boyfriend like Rei-chan--someone who will wait for him. Nagisa wants to be able to share the experience of his first time with Rei, but only when the time is right. He doesn’t feel ready, but that doesn’t mean he loves Rei any less--and maybe one day he’ll find the right moment to drop that word on Rei, too. Nagisa smiles at the ceiling and, despite the few setbacks and minor emotional meltdown, figures it was pretty much the most perfect Valentine’s Day ever.

**Author's Note:**

> yyeahh???? i dunno...ive seen fics where rei's the one who wants to back away so i decided to Change Things Up
> 
> anyways this was for valentines day, i hope everyone enjoyed reading it!!
> 
> feel free to drop in--[didsw](didsw.tumblr.com) on tumblr!!


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